Mystic Saison is our take on the old Belgian farmhouse ale. Saisons were traditionally brewed for refreshment during the summer months. Light in color, effervescent with a billowy, well-retained head — it is very dry and strongly aromatic with light pepper and pear overtones. Heavier in alcohol at 7% abv, it finishes clean and bright, with a very light bitterness.

Saison is far more a tradition than a style. Made with wine yeast by French speaking people in the ‘grain belt’ of Europe, saison was brewed in winter to slake thirsts of farm workers in summer.

We found that in many ways saison goes far beyond white wines that were in the minds of the old Wallonians. It can be as dry and crisp but far more variable. In Belgium, every farm house had its own saison, influenced by their very own farm and the grains available to them. For Mystic Saison we worked towards the essence of saison.

The Name. Mystic Saison was our first beer and named to reflect the straightforward approach to a “whole field” saison.

T: Very sweet up front, pepper notes, earthy yeast, some pear. Fruit notes, a hint of alcohol in there before a dry/yeast finish.

M/D: Medium bodied, carbonation is about a medium. A little too think I think for the style. Very good drinkablity. Overall, a rather interesting Saison. Not quite as dry or crisp as I'm used to, but very flavorful through out. (531 characters)

Very interesting, perhaps that is a loaded way to start my notes and yes it is an interesting beer. The yeast forward aspect drags this beer down a bit for me, not to the point of being undrinkable but it clearly leaves a note that my palate can't shake. Love the dryness and use of hop but I expected a bit more malt character to back all of this up. Glad I tried this again, batch #1 that I shared at Bukowski's seemed like a yeast bomb. Looking forward to trying future batches if there are variances. (949 characters)

Overall: An ok, slightly above average saison. Not a bad beer, but it really did not stick out too much in a style I really like. I would get this again if offered to me, but would not go out of my way for it. (467 characters)

A: golden honey that pours a large white fizzy head that dissipates quickly to a nonexistent head.S: grassy, citrus with hints of flowers and boozeT: citrus-lemon, funk, boozeM: thin body as expected but an unwarranted drying of the mouthO: as previous reviewers have mentioned, tasty but boozy. If the booze could get well hidden then i'd say mystic brewery would be onto something. (387 characters)

A - deep golden color with a big, fluffy white head. doesn't stick around for long though, as both our glasses quickly diminish to just beer with no lacing

S - banana/clove, candied sugar, light floral hops

T - immediately get some interesting, spicy yeast flavors. bubblegum, light grain, however a noticeable amount of solvency. as others have noted, the brewer has come out and said their second batch does not demonstrate this trait

M - highly carbonated, which plays well with the spicy notes of the yeast

A great saison from a local Boston brewer, one that reminds me of an authentic Belgian ale. For only $9 it's not a bad price, and I'm really excited to try the slightly tweaked batch in the future. Once other batches are released, I'll be sure to try them out and re-review. (851 characters)

T - Green apple, pear, citrus, hops. Malt is absent. Entirely. I can only taste it faintly after swallowing a sip and it's on the very cliffedge of my tastebuds. Also, an unappealing vinegar taste. Ehh.

M - I don't know whether this was old on the shelf or what but this mouthfeel isn't very appealing. Each sip totally comes apart and there is almost no carbonation.

D - A poor showing. Not impressed by any means. The aromas and tastes are sour and anti-fulfilling. For this brewery (and this is the first beer I've tried from them) to call this a saison is just sacrilege to the style. For them to call this a saison is nonsense. There is no saison here. Nothing even approaching it. They could change five things about this beer in an effort to make it a saison and it still wouldn't trigger. This is, frankly, a beer gone wrong.

This is the first beer I've had from Mystic and, though Im disappointed by their first offering, I'll try two more to be faithful to a democratic spirit. I have a couple friends who have attested to Mystic's talent (and they're people whose taste I have faith in) and I'll be indulging them again soon. (1,394 characters)

Makes for a beautiful pour with a bright orange body and a nice white fluffy head on top. Sticky and lacy as well.

Fruity and yeasty on the nose with a faint lemon note and some pepper and clove spice notes. A little more subtle than some saisons but definitely showing some complexity to it.

A fruity tartness starts things off. Yeasty spice notes mix in as well making for a well balanced beer. Finishes with a bit of an earthy and musty character.

Bubbly and crisp on the mouthfeel. Overall, a pretty solid saison. Nothing really sticks out but all the flavors blend together so well it makes for a nice sipper on a beautiful summer afternoon. (651 characters)

Poured into my Portsmouth tulip a heady translucent orange honey color, good lacing as it deflates to a finger of solid white.

The nose is light bubblegum and citrus with a dominating phenol alcohol presence.

A sip is medium with smooth carbonation - caramel malt, grassiness, and light citrus. But as mentioned in previous reviews, due to batch variation this one is really boozy to me - almost band aid medicinal. It's not that unpleasant, but it's not right.

Seems to be nicely hopped, but the big alcohol presence just isn't to style. Will definitely try a new bottle much later on, because it seems others have enjoyed the good half of the bath. (653 characters)